By Dr. Priyom Bose, Ph.D.Jul 1 2024Reviewed by Lexie Corner Many materials have been explored for 3D printing, but most lack favorable chemical, mechanical, electrical, and biological properties. Multiple studies have revealed that graphene or graphene-based materials possess unique properties, making them ideal for 3D printing.
Raw Materials for 3D Printing To build high-quality devices using 3D printing technology, it is essential to provide raw materials with consistent specifications. Various materials, including natural, synthetic, ceramic, metallic, and their composite or hybrid forms, have been explored and developed for 3D printing.
3D Printing Techniques Various techniques are used to develop 3D graphene scaffolds or prints, including FDM, SLS, and SLA. For example, the FDM technique was used to develop a 3D graphene scaffold with polyvinyl alcohol and polylactic acid , while the SLA method was used for printing 0.1 wt% graphene, GO, and graphite nanoplatelets amended with photopolymerizable acrylic resin.5
rGO offers suitable biocompatibility with many cell types, making it a promising material for tissue engineering applications. Typically, the FDM method is used to develop rGO scaffolds.New Material Advances 3D Printing at the Nanoscale 3D-printed graphene is applied in many fields of science and technology, including medicine and electronics.
The newly developed 3D graphene mesh tube filled with alginate and GelMA double network hydrogel offers suitable conductivity and mechanical strength for supporting the proliferation and arrangement of nerve cells.